A fundamental change to the way IT solutions are acquired is driving some major changes across the channel. Not too long ago most customers preferred to buy and license hardware and software separately. But as more IT solutions become acquired using pay-as-you-go licensing models many organizations now prefer to buy both hardware and software in the same purchasing motion. This is leading to more technology alliances than ever between hardware and software vendors.
Case in point is Pivot3, a provider of hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) software that can be acquired separately or integrated with an x86 hardware platform built by Pivot3. Now, Pivot3 is extending the scope of its technology alliances by adding Zerto and VMware to the mix. Zerto is a provider of data protection and disaster recovery software, while the VMware alliance is limited to desktop virtualization software in the form of VMware Horizon 7. Obviously, VMware has its own HCI software and partner closely with sister company Dell EMC. But when it comes to the rest of the portfolio, VMware is clearly open to pursuing all routes to market.
At the same time, Pivot3 added Redington Value to its list of support distributors, largely to gain expertise deploying Splunk operation analytics software on Pivot 3 platforms in the Middle East and Africa region.
Collectively, these agreements reflect the shift in how hardware and applications are being acquired, says Mike Koponen, senior director of product and solutions marketing for Pivot3.
The goal is not to have Pivot3 partners supplant the channel partners of company’s such as Zerto and VMware as much as it is to make Pivot3 partners better aware of how to sell hardware collaboratively with them, explains Koponen.
“We want to increase the depth of knowledge of our partners,” says Koponen.
Naturally, getting partners aligned in a world where they need to go-to-market with each other more than ever represents a major challenge for the channel overall. It may even lead to consolidation of service providers to respond better to how the purchasing behavior of end customers is changing. The one thing that is for certain is while this trend is still nascent today, and it’s about to accelerate.
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